Conversations with On Record national leaders

DOLLY PARTON’S IMAGINATION LIBRARY it really take off and start doing wake up in the morning if I’m good, and so he loved it when really into a book, I finish that the kids called me the Book before I get up. Lady. He was prouder of that If you could invite three than saying that my daughter’s authors, living or dead, to ‘The Book Lady’ a star: ‘My daughter’s the Book dinner, who would they be? Lady.’ Well, that’s an interesting opened the 2019 [kids]. So that’s a wonderful I saw “” in 1980 and question because I love all the Legislative Summit in Nashville, thing. think of you being in the great writers. I love the classics. #MeToo movement before it Tenn., with an onstage discus- Your dad was the inspiration … Lee Smith is my favorite sion of her Imagination Library was cool. What do you think Southern writer and we got for this. Can you tell us a little about women’s role in the project, which distributes about him? to be friends, so I’d definitely books to children each month workplace now? invite her because we would Well, my dad, like so many until they turn 5. Well, you know, I never was have good things to talk about. country people, the hard-work- Parton talked about books, her hindered by the fact of being a And if I was going back to the ing people, especially back in woman. I just always had a lot old ones … probably Charles dad, women in the workplace the rural areas, my dad never and her seemingly boundless of confidence in myself and I Dickens. I love all of his things, had a chance to go to school grew up with my mom and five but I love “A Christmas Carol,” energy in this interview with because he had to help make State Legislatures magazine. sisters, my aunts and my grand- and I love it so much that I a living for the family. And so, mothers–very strong women have written a musical called What’s the most surprising Daddy couldn’t read and write. that really kept it all going. And “A Smoky Mountain Christmas thing that’s happened to you That always bothered him. it never crossed my mind that Carol,” and Scrooge is a man in as a result of the Imagination So when I got ready to start the I couldn’t do anything that the Appalachians that runs all Library project? program … I thought I’m going anybody else could do. the coal mines. It’s about all the Well, how big it has grown to do this for my dad and I’m My first RCA album was called poor Appalachian people. ... It’s and how fast, and how much going to bring him along with “Just Because I’m a Woman,” going to be touring probably people have really taken to it. … me to help me with that. So, he and I wrote that song back in this Christmas. Now it’s like up to 125 million got to live long enough to see 1966 and it was: My mistakes James Patterson writes a lot of are no worse than yours just gore and mystery, but I love his because I’m a woman, and books. I’d like to ask him how it talks about like how men he and Bill Clinton got together want to … get out and they run to write a book together–like around and they do whatever, to see if he might be interested and when they want to get in writing one with me. married they want an angel. You’ve written several books. Well, it’s not like that. Do you think of yourself as an All these songs that I wrote that author, country music star or were empowering women–I’m legend? glad that I did that and it’s still Well, I’m an entertainer and, holding up today. of course, I love my songwrit- I’ve read that you read about ing more than anything else. 50 books a year. Where do But I’m just kind of the whole you find the time? package. I’m not great at any of I love books and I’m not a big it, but I’m good enough … but television person. I read while I’m great enough at all of it to other people watch TV. You al- make it all work. ways find time to do the things you love. But I read myself to This interview was conducted sleep at night. If I wake up in by Ed Smith, NCSL’s director of the middle of the night and content, and has been edited for NCSL can’t get back to sleep, I read length. The full interview is avail- Dolly Parton onstage at the 2019 Legislative Summit in Nashville. myself back to sleep. When I able at www.ncsl.org/magazine.

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